Conservationists maintain stand at forest action

The following media release comes from Still Threatened, Still Wild, and marks the beginning of a summer of actions to protect remaining old growth forests.

Today’s protest action continues to stop logging operations in a stand of forest at Stony Creek, East Gippsland, Victoria. Two conservationists remain at the top of tripods, blocking the road at different access points to the logging zone. While one person remains 30 meters above the ground in a tree sit in the middle of the logging coupe. Around 40 others remain in the area.

Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) workers attended the site at around 11am. The DEPI workers then cut down trees in an area believed to be part of the Snowy River National Park, in an attempt to drive around a blockade tripod. Forestry workers are currently in the logging coupe, below the tree sit, assessing the situation.

“Three conservationists are today putting themselves on the line, up tripods and tree sits, and risking arrest in order to halt the destruction of this stand of forest that is home to the endangered long footed potoroo” said David Caldwell of Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO).

“Continued funding from tax-payer dollars to this industry for the benefit of a few private companies, like Nippon Paper, should be of concern to all tax payers. Australia is not only losing millions of dollars to prop up this industry, we are also losing our irreplaceable native wildlife species” said Mr Caldwell.

“Today’s action has brought a national focus to the destruction of wildlife habitat that is occurring here in East Gippsland as well as forested landscapes around Australia. It comes the day after a court appeal was lost by My Environment which now allows the ongoing logging of endangered leadbeater possum habitat.” said Poppy King of Central Highlands Action Group (CHAG).

“These dedicated conservationists are committed to continuing today’s action as long as possible, in order to protect this precious forest from industrial scale logging. This is part of a nation-wide movement that will see ongoing actions across the country in a call for protection of our native forests” said Miranda Gibson of Still Wild Still Threatened.